• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, October 5, 2011

Last week, more than 200 social media mom influencers and brands gathered in New York at SheStreams 2011 to discuss what's next on the social media horizon. Speakers and sessions focused on podcasting, radio, live webisodes and online videos. Surprisingly to some, not one session contained the word blog. For highlights of the content, search #shestream on Twitter or view videos.

We presented research on online content consumption by moms. The insights were original and offered a new look at how companies can connect with mothers via new online formats. I thought it would be worth repeating some of them here.

Based on a recent survey, more than 800 Moms have chimed in to let us know what seems obvious -- Video is King. Or Queen, in this case. While blogging is our business, we must look at videos and vlogs as another exploding sector that appeals directly to a Mom's needs. Consider these numbers:

• YouTube is the second-largest search engine behind Google.

• 80% of women have viewed at least one video in the last week vs. 33% who have read a blog.

• While YouTube has popularized the concept of a 30-second video due to a viewer's attention span, more than half of Moms surveyed said they watch videos in their entirety if less than three minutes long.

• An overwhelming 91% watch videos primarily on desktops or laptops.

What Kind of Video is Mom Looking For Online?

• 60% seek out video product reviews

• 55% of Moms watch company-produced videos

• Moms are looking for content that entertains, teaches and makes them laugh.

• Moms ranked videos that contain Entertainment, How-To's and Comedy as their most sought-after videos.

The research study, "Beyond Blogging: The Social Media Mom Forecast," illustrated that moms are not only viewing videos but are posting their own. One out of five moms has posted a video in response to a contest. In fact, they are posting videos quite frequently. Twenty percent of moms who post videos do so weekly, while more than half upload a video monthly.

Mom bloggers are searching for ways to build their brands and audiences and are turning to video to do it. Seventy percent have a YouTube channel and use Facebook to share their latest visual content.

Brands who want to utilize online video to connect to moms need not shell out big bucks for production studios and script writer. Most moms say that a video doesn't have to be professionally produced to gain their attention. It just needs to be short, informative, make her laugh and deliver solutions that help as mom, female, wife or household manager.

Next month, we'll present research on podcasting, radio and mobile applications.